Food plan leaves dining halls open

By Chris Schechter

Last Wednesday, Senior Vice President William R. Dickson '56 accepted
a final food service plan for MIT that includes keeping the dining halls in
Baker, MacGregor, McCormick and Next Houses open for dinner. Students in
dormitories without dining halls will not be required to purchase a meal
plan.

The Institute will accept a final bid for next year's contractor by July
1991.

Dickson decided that students residing in dormitories with dining halls
will have to purchase

a $1000 declining-balance meal plan. However, these students will be free
to spend this money at any dining area on campus. Dormitory dining
facilities will most likely be closed for breakfast and lunch.

Lawrence E. Maguire, director of housing and food services, said that a
new food service plan was needed for two reasons. "We can't afford to be
losing $1.5 million a year," he said. Additionally, "it was found that only
12 percent of the students ate breakfast at their houses and 14 percent ate
lunch."

Dickson said that as a result of the changes next year, "We are expecting
an extra 250 people at lunch in Lobdell." In order to handle this lunchtime
overload, MIT may add a food station in Lobby 13, make use of more areas of
the Julius A. Stratton '23 Student Center, or open Baker or McCormick for
lunch.

Maguire and a committee that included students met with the housemasters
of the dormitories with dining halls, who made a strong case for leaving
the dining halls open.

The option of having each house oversee its own dining hall was proposed,
but this would have required students to spend $1000 in their respective
dining halls. Students in the dormitories with dining halls rejected this
alternative.

The Undergraduate Association's Food Service Committee conducted a survey
and held forums to try to gather student opinion. The UA made
recommendations to Maguire, who included them in the final recommendation
he submitted to Dickson for approval.

Several catering services

under consideration

Several catering services have been invited to bid for the MIT dining
services. The largest caterers are ARA, Marriott and Creative Gourmet. This
Friday, each of them will be invited for a "preliminary walk around,"
according to Maguire. By April 1, Maguire will submit to each of them a
"full package" of what MIT requires.

"MIT will still be responsible for the quality of the food," Maguire
said. The new plan will be a profit-loss contract, unlike this year's plan,
which is a management-free contract. MIT will receive a percentage of the
sales, and the caterer will have to take any losses.

The Institute will still be able to set the prices of the products. "We
are mainly looking for quality," Maguire said. "The price value will be
fair and we will pay particular attention to the marketing abilities of the
different candidates."

Maguire formed a search committee in order to find the best bidders. It
is comprised of three undergraduate students, one graduate student, three
staff members, a faculty member, Maguire and John T. Mc Neill, associate
director of food services.

Dickson said, "The most difficult part of the process is over." The
completion of the plan was hindered by the variety of dormitories at MIT.
"East Campus, with kitchens on every floor, cannot be treated the same way
that Baker is," Maguire said. " Our driving principle is to try to maintain
MIT's unique diversity."